Interested in turning your alpaca ranch into a business? It is not that hard to do. With a little work and time you too can be the owner of your own business. Lets get started:

  • Name - Have you selected a name for your business yet? Think about it for a while. This is not something that should be taken lightly and to change it down the road can be quite a tiresome process. Test the name(s) you have chosen with family, friends, coworkers, etc. for their reactions. Once you have the name you can file it with your states corporate commission for a fee. No one in your state will be allowed to use your business name then.
  • Select a Business Structure - There are several different business structures you can follow. They are Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, and Corporation to include Limited Liability Corporations, S Corporations, and Non - Profit Corporations. Sit down with your lawyer or accountant for help in selecting which of these business structures works for your ranch.
  • Lawyer and/or Accountant It is not necessary to immediately have a lawyer and/or accountant, but they can help you from making initial mistakes if they are hired on early in the process. If you are unaware of the agricultural laws then I highly recommend you attain an accountant with this experience. There are tax laws that have been passed specifically for livestock (ie Section 179), so finding an accountant who understands these laws will be extremely helpful.
  • Services What services will you be offering? There are many services to choose or combine. Some examples are:
    1. Breeding and selling alpacas (huacaya or suri)
    2. Selling stud services
    3. Selling the fiber and/or end products
    4. Transportation Services
    5. Website Creation
    6. Consulting
    7. Teaching Seminars
    8. Agistment (Boarding)
    9. Photography
    10. Bookkeeping

    The list can go on and on, but you get the idea. Just keep in mind that you dont want to bog yourself down with too much when you are just getting your feet wet.

  • Website Studies after studies have been done to show how many people are accessing the Internet. It is fair to say that you are not gaining your full potential until you have created a website for your business. Your customers will range from local to essentially global. Remember that not everyone knows what an alpaca is and introducing them into the Internet will help educate the population. Creating a website will take plenty of time and planning. After it is completed then keeping it updated and fresh will keep your prospects coming back.

I made it sound simple, right? Well, let me try to help you think this through a bit more. Sure the steps above sound easy enough, but without a business plan you probably wont be going far. The business plan will help you strategize not only what your business will provide, but also the steps as in how you will provide those services. Do you have the money in hand now or what is your plan in getting capital? One of the biggest reasons companies fail is that they did not have enough capital. Understanding your target market and getting the message to that group that you have what they need will add to your success. You dont want to be throwing your money into advertisements needlessly.
You are not alone in this endeavor. There are government agencies available to assist you in becoming an entrepreneur. SCORE and Small Business Administration is just a couple that is full of information and willing to mentor any entrepreneur.

Janice Buttitta owns Desert Mountain Alpaca Ranch with her husband in Hereford, AZ. They breed, raise, and sell huacaya alpacas and alpaca related products. Please visit the website http://www.desertmtnalpacas.com or http://www.alpacanation.com/desertmtnalpacas.asp for more information. Desert Mountain Alpaca ranch welcomes visitors and can teach you the alpaca business.